"Bill Bell and His Tuba" now available

[J.c. Sherman]

Dave, good points, every one!

I would definitely NOT assert the MP3 would not be worth the money. I simply don't deal with them, and have always had problems burning CD from my machine - and a computer is a LOT of money.

That said, just because I'm a fuddy duddy, doesn't mean I don't think the price is right and, again, I'd be happy to pay a premium on the cost of this magnificent album. Hokey would not be what I'd call Bell or your albums. Both, I think, are landmarks.

Bell's playing is absolutely unmatched and unmatchable. If you have a distaste for the styles presented, one should still listen to what a tuba can really sound like!

Dave, I still dig your album, and while it ain't the tuba cut, Waltzing Matilda still makes me cry!

J.c.S.

[Tubaryan12]

The sentiment has been expressed that MP3's are somehow inferior and that you want to hold some hard copy product in your hands. This demonstrates (perhaps understandable) ignorance of MP3 downloads and what they offer. I offer the highest quality MP3 sampling rate available, and I would challenge anyone with their highly attuned tuba-ears to tell the difference between a high-res mp3 and a wma.

I know I can't tell unless encoded at less than 128 kb/s

But here's why MP3's should actually cost MORE than CD's (but generally don't!): Besides listening to the album on your MP3 player or computer, you can BURN YOUR OWN CD from the files and PRINT YOUR OWN CD COVERS with the included graphics. You're actually getting more for your money and for those who argue they want "hard copy", man, the only reason you don't have it is because you're too lazy to take a few minutes to make your own from the MP3!

If I buy a hard copy, don't I already have these things? If so, how is the download better unless the pics are hi resolution, and I have a use for them other than being able to quickly identify the cd case on the shelf? Also, factory made cds usually last longer than cd-r's.

That, plus the convenience of downloading the file RIGHT NOW instead of waiting days or weeks for your purchase to arrive makes MP3's a very viable and convenient alternative to hard copy CD's.

Now this statement is very true.

[Chuck Jackson]

I noticed the word "hokey" tossed about regarding Mr. Bell's solo album, which adjective was also applied to my album "Tubas from Hell".

I brought up the word hokey, but please read it in context. Personally, I love the recording. AND I think "Tubas from Hell" is astounding. "Old Rocking Chair" is particularly good. To the person who thinks the last tune is called "Waltzing Matilda" it's not. It's called "Tom Trauberts Blues (Down and Out in Copehagen)" by Tom Waits. The song is one of the greatest ever written by the Poet Laureate of The Dispossessed. Someone ought to shoot Rod Stewart for attempting to sing it.

NOW, if you want to hear the best use of the phrase "Waltzing Matilda" outside of the original and Tom Waits, log onto YouTube and type in, under videos, "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and see if you look at war the same way as you did before.

Chuck "who was told by Jay Mueller who said he heard it from Dave Gannett who heard it from Harvey that the "Elephant Sit Down Music" was originally written for Bill Bell"Jackson

[BVD Press]

Dear Dave,

I think we all applaud your efforts to get the Bill Bell CD back in print, but I would like to take the time to respond to your post below because I do feel it was partially directed at me because of my initial post. If it was not directed at me, at least you will have a list of what myself as an individual and Cimarron Music Press are trying to do as a company for our little community.

With regards to the "high price" (with, by the way, 80% of proceeds going to the WJB Memorial Scholarship Fund), what would YOU charge for the costs and countless hours of work involved in a project of this type? And, frankly, where are YOUR offerings to the tuba world? And what are you doing to further the education and careers of our younger colleagues? I and the other sponsors of tubenet are at least putting our money where our collective mouths are to help make this discussion possible. Where would we be if Sean decided it cost too much to offer Tubenet? And I wonder, has he ever been remunerated for the countless hundreds of hours he has put into making Tubenet a success? I certainly hope so! He deserves it.

Since you asked about "furthering education and careers of our younger colleagues" here goes:

1. Almost 4 years ago, along with a partner, I purchased Cimarron Music Press. As most of you know, this company was and still is very tuba and euphonium heavy. I am not sure Cimarron would still exist if a partner and I did not come along and have the time and money to invest in the company.

2. Since purchasing Cimarron, we have started 3 separate commissions:
a. Barbara York Project - http://www.cimarronmusic.com/BarbaraYork/
Please note $500.00 came out of my own pocket, $500.00 from Cimarron, $1000.00 from a very loyal anonymous tuba supporter and $1000.00 came from various individuals who stepped up to the plate (most from the list)
b. Tuba Quartet co-commission of Tony Plog along with Sotto Voce
c. Commission of four new tuba quartets from: Barbara York, Elizabeth Raum, Lewis Buckley and James Woodward (3 to be premiered at ITEC 2008)

3. Countless number of pieces are now back in print because of our efforts. This includes many Nelhybel pieces (Ludus, Suite for Tuba, etc.) and will soon include pieces from Payne, Haddad, Uber, etc. Much of this effort is in time (for me personally 8-12 hours everyday for the past 4 years), but it does cost money for all of them as well.

4. BVD Press has also been a sponsor many times of TubeNet.

5. In addition to the above, Cimarron has donated music to
various reading sessions, camps, chamber ensembles, soloists and supported several conferences monetarily.

Like I said, since you asked, above is a short list of some of the things Cimarron or I have done individually to "further education and careers of our younger colleagues" so far. I would add in older colleagues as well!

I do think many people on this list have stepped up to the plate as well. I was blown away be the support from the forum for the first York Commission. Within three days of posting the commission, the $1000.00 needed to make it happen was raised. I think this was incredibly supportive!

BTW, just engraving the Nelhybel piece Ludus above took me 40.5 hours of computer time so I would imagine you and others have put in many hours for the new CD project. Ludus was a worthwhile project, but just thinking about the time involved makes me cringe!
__

I 100% agree Sean deserves giant kudos for TubeNet! It is a wonderful place to gather info, discuss whatever, etc.

[J.c. Sherman]

Sorry I got the "Waltzing Matilda" title wrong - I didn't have it with me. Still, it was enough information to know to which track I was referring

J.c.S.

[Toad Away]

Dave, well said!
I will wait to get the CD of this album which meant so much to me all those many years ago.
Am still looking forward to the release of Harvey's biography.
Now --
If I could only get a CD of your Dixie-Direct album ....


All the best,
Tim

[dgannett]

[quote="Tubaryan12"][quote] If I buy a hard copy, don't I already have these things? If so, how is the download better unless the pics are hi resolution, and I have a use for them other than being able to quickly identify the cd case on the shelf

The pics are for printing CD covers. Are the CD covers you have high res for enlarging and putting on the wall? The Cd cover is the CD cover.

[quote]Also, factory made cds usually last longer than cd-r's.

I've never actually done a test on this, but the good news is that if your CDR wears out or is damaged/scratched, you can make another one in a blink. Not so with your commercially produced CD. You have to buy another one.

Thanks for your remarks!

[dgannett]

I noticed the word "hokey" tossed about regarding Mr. Bell's solo album, which adjective was also applied to my album "Tubas from Hell".

I brought up the word hokey, but please read it in context. Personally, I love the recording. AND I think "Tubas from Hell" is astounding. "Old Rocking Chair" is particularly good. To the person who thinks the last tune is called "Waltzing Matilda" it's not. It's called "Tom Trauberts Blues (Down and Out in Copehagen)" by Tom Waits. The song is one of the greatest ever written by the Poet Laureate of The Dispossessed. Someone ought to shoot Rod Stewart for attempting to sing it.

NOW, if you want to hear the best use of the phrase "Waltzing Matilda" outside of the original and Tom Waits, log onto YouTube and type in, under videos, "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and see if you look at war the same way as you did before.

Chuck "who was told by Jay Mueller who said he heard it from Dave Gannett who heard it from Harvey that the "Elephant Sit
Down Music" was originally written for Bill Bell"Jackson

Hi Chuck - thanks for your heartwarming remarks - I wasn't referring specifically to your comment, as this has been a criticism leveled at my recordings over many years by far more sophisticated players. I mean, let's face it: how serious can you be when you blow yourself up?

xoxodave

[dgannett]

Dear Dave,

I think we all applaud your efforts to get the Bill Bell CD back in print, but I would like to take the time to respond to your post below because I do feel it was partially directed at me because of my initial post. If it was not directed at me, at least you will have a list of what myself as an individual and Cimarron Music Press are trying to do as a company for our little community.

With regards to the "high price" (with, by the way, 80% of proceeds going to the WJB Memorial Scholarship Fund), what would YOU charge for the costs and countless hours of work involved in a project of this type? And, frankly, where are YOUR offerings to the tuba world? And what are you doing to further the education and careers of our younger colleagues? I and the other sponsors of tubenet are at least putting our money where our collective mouths are to help make this discussion possible. Where would we be if Sean decided it cost too much to offer Tubenet? And I wonder, has he ever been remunerated for the countless hundreds of hours he has put into making Tubenet a success? I certainly hope so! He deserves it.

Since you asked about "furthering education and careers of our younger colleagues" here goes:

1. Almost 4 years ago, along with a partner, I purchased Cimarron Music Press. As most of you know, this company was and still is very tuba and euphonium heavy. I am not sure Cimarron would still exist if a partner and I did not come along and have the time and money to invest in the company.

2. Since purchasing Cimarron, we have started 3 separate commissions:
a. Barbara York Project - http://www.cimarronmusic.com/BarbaraYork/
Please note $500.00 came out of my own pocket, $500.00 from Cimarron, $1000.00 from a very loyal anonymous tuba supporter and $1000.00 came from various individuals who stepped up to the plate (most from the list)
b. Tuba Quartet co-commission of Tony Plog along with Sotto Voce
c. Commission of four new tuba quartets from: Barbara York, Elizabeth Raum, Lewis Buckley and James Woodward (3 to be premiered at ITEC 2008)

3. Countless number of pieces are now back in print because of our efforts. This includes many Nelhybel pieces (Ludus, Suite for Tuba, etc.) and will soon include pieces from Payne, Haddad, Uber, etc. Much of this effort is in time (for me personally 8-12 hours everyday for the past 4 years), but it does cost money for all of them as well.

4. BVD Press has also been a sponsor many times of TubeNet.

5. In addition to the above, Cimarron has donated music to
various reading sessions, camps, chamber ensembles, soloists and supported several conferences monetarily.

Like I said, since you asked, above is a short list of some of the things Cimarron or I have done individually to "further education and careers of our younger colleagues" so far. I would add in older colleagues as well!

I do think many people on this list have stepped up to the plate as well. I was blown away be the support from the forum for the first York Commission. Within three days of posting the commission, the $1000.00 needed to make it happen was raised. I think this was incredibly supportive!

BTW, just engraving the Nelhybel piece Ludus above took me 40.5 hours of computer time so I would imagine you and others have put in many hours for the new CD project. Ludus was a worthwhile project, but just thinking about the time involved makes me cringe!
__

I 100% agree Sean deserves giant kudos for TubeNet! It is a wonderful place to gather info, discuss whatever, etc.

Hi Bryan!

Man, this was just a general statement and NOT directed at you personally! I'm sure I join others on this list who applaud your efforts, in all their facets, to make the tuba world a much more interesting and rewarding place. It's folks like Bryan, Sean and others of their ilk that move our instrument into the forefront and into the future. Bryan, you're a prime example of putting your money where your mouth is!

Dave "Scattergun" Gannett

[dgannett]

Dave,
Bravo to you, for your impassioned eloquence, and for your salute...

There are tons of tubists out there playing lots of notes, but there are precious few that demonstrate the musician's HEART in the manner of Bill Bell, Harvey Phillips, Arnold Jacobs, Roger Bobo and a few others.

Best wishes old friend,
Chuck England

Chuck England! On a personal note, Chuck was my earliest influence on the instrument and had a profound impact on me. His beautiful and truly musical playing are coupled with a cultured and intelligent demeanor with a little twist of the bizarre humor thrown in. And he's a great pool player too. Hope all is well with you, old friend!

Dave

[dgannett]

Dave, well said!
I will wait to get the CD of this album which meant so much to me all those many years ago.
Am still looking forward to the release of Harvey's biography.
Now --
If I could only get a CD of your Dixie-Direct album ....


All the best,
Tim

Hi Tim -

"Dixie Direct" is available at http://www.tubagear.com as an MP3 download w/graphics. There are no CD's of this album that I know of, other than the one you make yourself. Thanks Tim!

Dave

[BVD Press]

Man, this was just a general statement and NOT directed at you personally! I'm sure I join others on this list who applaud your efforts, in all their facets, to make the tuba world a much more interesting and rewarding place. It's folks like Bryan, Sean and others of their ilk that move our instrument into the forefront and into the future. Bryan, you're a prime example of putting your money where your mouth is!

Dave "Scattergun" Gannett

I didn't really take it personally, but since I was the first to respond to the thread...

I enjoy .mp3 downloads, but very much look forward to the hard copy version of "Bill Bell and His Tuba"!! Count me in when it is available.

[Stephen Shoop]

I would like to offer the following points about this very important historical solo tuba recording and Mr. Gannett's postings on this forum:

I too am contributing to the profession by publishing and bringing products to market-- including Mr. Phillips' arrangement of Air on the G String. Also, it has also been my honor and pleasure to assist Mr. Phillips with his discography. To date we have documented over 200 recordings! Within the next six weeks or so I will be making available The Happy Farmer for solo tuba and band accompaniment. This is the version Mr. Bell performed with Paul Lavalle's Band of America. I have also published a number of previously unpublished tuba solos by Fred Geib.

Perhaps it would have been good for Mr. Gannett to mention in his original post that both mp3 and CDs would be available. As I stated earlier-- I have nothing against mp3's, but-- simply prefer to purchase a product I can hold in my hands! In fact, I would almost rather have an LP-- with a large picture on the cover and liner notes with print large enough for me to read! I recently purchased a sealed LP of the New York Philharmonic Brass Ensemble (with a picture of Mr. Bell and the other members of the ensemble on the cover). To me, it was well worth $50.

Regarding my comment that CD sales are currently slow: The fact of the matter is-- for whatever reasons-- CD sales ARE slow. I did not mean to suggest they are over priced, just that sales are slow. I realize production costs are generally high, and our niche market is small-- resulting in a small amount of profit per unit. That's why I mention in my advertisements that the price of my CDs are set by the artist(s).

Steve

[BVD Press]

I too am contributing to the profession by publishing and bringing products to market-- including Mr. Phillips' arrangement of Air on the G String. Also, it has also been my honor and pleasure to assist Mr. Phillips with his discography. To date we have documented over 200 recordings! Within the next six weeks or so I will be making available The Happy Farmer for solo tuba and band accompaniment. This is the version Mr. Bell performed with Paul Lavalle's Band of America. I have also published a number of previously unpublished tuba solos by Fred Geib.

Can you post a link where these pieces, cds etc. can be purchased?

[BVD Press]

If anyone is looking for the original LP, there are two on Ebay currently:

http://cgi.ebay.com/bill-bell-BILL-BELL ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/BILL-BELL-HIS-TUBA- ... dZViewItem

[eupher61]

crimeny! I paid $0.50 for my copy at a Goodwill store about a year ago!

Um...taking offers here, PMs only...

[BVD Press]

crimeny! I paid $0.50 for my copy at a Goodwill store about a year ago!

Um...taking offers here, PMs only...

Get what you can get now because I am guessing when the CD is out the LP might drop in price. Then again, maybe it will go up!

[uncle jerd]

[I noticed the word "hokey" tossed about regarding Mr. Bell's solo album, which adjective was also applied to my album "Tubas from Hell". For all you tuba players who walk on water, here's a simple challenge: duplicate Mr. Bell's album on your own. Show us you can play with the style, personality and authority he demonstrates while singing your *** off. Then submit your recording to the list (as a, dare I say it, MP3 download!) so that we can admire your superiority. There are tons of tubists out there playing lots of notes, but there are precious few that demonstrate the musician's HEART in the manner of Bill Bell, Harvey Phillips, Arnold Jacobs, Roger Bobo and a few others.

DAMN RIGHT BROTHER DAVE!!! Thanks so much for what you do man!
Ken Riddle

[tubadude411]

What he said!!